Roberts Pavilion at Claremont McKenna College (CMC) is the athletic center for three of the Claremont Colleges, a collective of five undergraduate and two graduate schools in California. The LEED Gold-certified facility offers students a 132,000-square-foot, three-level fitness and athletic center facility that serves as a hub for intercollegiate, intramural, and physical education programs.

The pavilion houses a fitness center, recreational gym, weight room, locker rooms, administrative offices, and a flexibly configured 2,000-seat arena. The sunken lower level includes a practice and competition arena for varsity sports and can also double as an event center for various speaking, musical, and dramatic events.

The pavilion's distinctive architectural design emphasizes open, light-filled spaces and incorporates numerous resource-saving devices, such as skylights, low-flow water fixtures, and LED lighting. The HVAC system is supplied by the energy-efficient South Campus Central Plant. The facility supports the college's co-educational program of 21 varsity sports, including an arena for basketball and volleyball that satisfies NCAA regulations. The facility also houses the Department of Physical Education and Athletics. 

Using Building Information Modeling images, PCL was able to demonstrate conflicts to the Owner and design team and brainstorm potential solutions.   The project team investigated the cost and benefits of various solutions including relocating the duct bank, installing shoring, and changing the building foundation. During the design phase, it was discovered on the west side of the building that the existing duct bank would conflict with the foundation.

Relocating the duct bank wasn’t an option as this section of duct bank provided telecom and high voltage power to two other colleges that are part of the Claremont Consortium – in addition to CMC. PCL’s team worked with the structural engineer to modify the plan to use drilled shafts and grade beams so that the foundation would span the existing duct bank (instead of relocating the duct bank). The client estimates this solution saved them $400,000 and eliminated the very disruptive shutdowns that would have occurred by relocating the existing duct bank. Because of this foresight using BIM techniques, this solution was implemented well before the construction documents were complete and prevented any delays or cost impacts to the project.